Ronaldo has announced his upcoming retirement, reports O Globo. The Phenomenal One, as he is known in Brazil, will see out his career at Corinthians before hanging up his boots, saying: "I have renewed for another two years and they will be the last of my career. I have already decided that."

Despite his ongoing fight with the flab Ronaldo helped the team lift the Copa Brasil last season, earning them a place in the South American Champions League, the Libertadores Cup, a competition he hopes will prove a fitting swansong to his time in football. Sadly, Ronaldo's celebrity is now more of a draw than his skills on the pitch – Coldplay, Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres and actor Hugh Jackman have all visited São Paulo to get a picture with the roly‑poly star.

It's a far cry from when the three-times Fifa World Player of the Year scored eight goals as Brazil lifted their fifth World Cup in 2002. It would take a miracle for Dunga to recall him now.